Quick-release hood for airplane cabins



Feb. 5, 1946. J. MARTIN QUICK-RELEASE HOOD FOR AIRPLANE CABINS 2 Shoots-Sheet 1 Filed March 9,( 1942 Feb. 5, 1946. J. MARTIN 2,394,425

QUICK-RELEASE HOOD FOR AIRPLANE CABINS Filed Marh 9.' 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Affe/226:99 l

Patented Feb. 5, 1946 QUICK-.RELEASE Hoon Foa ArmeniansA QABINs JaniesMartin, Higher Denham, near Uxbridge,

England Application Malh 9, 1942, Seriad- N 434,015

IfnGreatB'ritan March 20,141,941:

5, Claims.

rIfhis invention relates to the` hoods or tops 0f;

cabins or cockpits ofI airplanes and more particularly to means. whereby the hoodf or top may be readilyv jettisoned in the event of the pilot or pas,- senger wantingV toA make an emergency parachute descent, oriwanting tov escape from a crashedv or burning airplane. The chief` object of; this invention is to` provide a` highly positive quick-,release device. which by. a simple momentary operation wili. free the hoo-d or topv for jettsoning to aiord an unobstructed exit, and yet normally aioifds a posi-tive 'and' rigid` anchorage of the hood or top to the fuselage without imposing ying strains on the releasing device which might impair its eiciency and prevent the ready response in operatain which is. essential when making a hurried escape from an airplane. Another object of thisv invention is to provide a Quick-release device, which can be readily adapted to existingaircraft fitted with hoods constructed and arranged to be moved relatively to the. fuselage to: vary the efecA-.Vv tive area of opening above the cabin or cockpit, whereby with very slight and easily applied additions the hood is rendered capable 'of being entirely freed from parts which'normally connect it adjustably to the fuselage. Further to these objects the present invention contemplates the application to a known form of airplane cabin hood of the sliding type of an emergency quick release device which will enable the hood to be freed, by the momentary operation of a single member, from the members which normally are xed to the hood to form runners for the hood. l

In carrying one form of this invention into practice a cabin hood of the transparent or partly transparent type with a metal frame is slidably supported by means of a number of runners, suchas bearing blocks, engaged in two longitudinal guides on the fuselage body in known manner. However instead of securing the runners and the hood together in an inseparable manner they are. held together by means of inter-engaging elements and locking means which normally connect them to each other in a positive manner so that the hood and its runners may slidefreely in its guides. `The locking means which hold the parts in engage; nient are adapted to be` released by movable release members coupled to a single control handle which may be carried by the hood in a readily accessible position. A sharp pull on the handle will release the locking means so that the hood isy free .for immediate detachment from its runners and will escape leaving a4 free and unobstructed exit for the occupant or occupants of the. airplane. The invention is particularly advantageous when applied to single seater aircraft ofthe lighterv type and provides an instantaneous and dependable means for jettisening the hood of the machine to aiord a free and unobstructed opening through which the occupant may escape and which is independent of the usual guides in which dei-stoody and readily carried into effect, drawings are. appeldd hereto illustrating, an embodiment thereof as appliedv toI a hood vof the cabin .ci a fighter type of airplane, and wherein:

Eig. l isa perspective. view showing the hood with the quickr-freleasfeA locking device in its normal orY fastening DQSition.

Eig, 2 isa detail sectional end elevation show-'7, ing one of the runners or bearing blocks in the guide channel of the fuselage, and also showing the means for detachably connecting the hood to therunners orbearing blocks,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional front elevationl showing the, leadegn fittings for guiding the cables of a pair. -of ,Bowdenl wires, to a common operating member, which forms a remote control releasing CII device for both sides of the hood.

Fig. 4 is a detail View o a stowing clip for nor,- mally retaining` thesaid operating'member in a non-obstructive position.

lig..` `54 is an exploded View of the elements oi the handle onthe said operating member, and

Eig.6. is a sectional elevation with the said elements assembled and showing how the said cables are securely locked to the handle.

Referring to the drawings the hood shown is of known form; and comprises a` moulded transpar ent sheet I of cellulose acetate or like material mounted at its perimeter in aV thin metal frame 2 the. longitudinal lowerV parts of which are` stiffened by a parir of longitudinal bars 3 which alsol serve as distance pieces between the hood and two pairs of runners or bearing blocks 4 which slide in two longitudinal guide rails 5,l fixed to the fuselage l a close tothe opening of the cabin or cockpit so that the h ood spans and covers such opening and can be slid endwse t0. the @Breed and Closed DO;

' The stiiiening bars 3 'afford sufficient thickness of metal to locate a pair of uni-latera1 retaining pins tf ofeach bearing block'llY firmly in position relatively te the hood, but instead of permanently Xedly locating these retaining pins in the hood frame they t easily in the bars 3 and frame 2 and project only 'a slight distance beyond the exterior of the hood frame whereby the hood can be easily freed from the retaining pins when it is required to jettison the hood, whilst the retaining pins are suiciently thick andy iirm to afford safe anchorage for the hood. Normally, the hood is secured against escape from the four pairs ofI retainingN pins E by means which affords part of a single action quick-release device operable momentarily by the pilot or passenger, and does not receive directly the strains setv up by the forces actineon the hDQd dlflfli flight- The said quick-release device can incorporate 1 any suita-ble form of easily disconnected or easily disengaged locking member with each retaining pin 6, and also any suitable arrangement of 1 operating device common to all of the locking members, so -that such members will be actuated vsimultaneously with asnap or momentary action. A convenient arrangement is the use of four pairs of narrow s'teel wires 1 each of cranked or L configuration and each having a longitudinal limb slid through a transverse aperture 8 in each retaining pin near the free end of the retaining pin,

such free ends of the retaining pins being rounded as shown vto allow for ease of movement through the hood frame. The locking vwires 1 are aflixed i by their vertical limbs to a longitudinal pair of release bars 9, such bars extending along and parallel with the lower horizontal sides of the hood frame 2. It is preferred to pass the vertical limbs of these locking wires diametrically through the bars 9 and to weld their upper ends into inwardly pinched depressions in the pair of bars, the bars being circular section tubes of light gauge metal. These release bars 9 are pulled for- ,The cables I2 of the Bowdenwiresare connect-V I.

ed to the release bars 9 by ,a pair of ferrules I3 xed to the median parts of the two longitudinal release bars, and the sheaths I4 of these two cables are secured by clips I5 tothe hood frame so as to lie close against the base Vand front parts of the hood frame, the ends of the cables and' their sheaths remote from the releases bars being passed through a pair of inclined apertures 16 in the Yhood top as shown in Fig. 3, and the two cables are carried beyond these inclined apertures and -rmly secured tothe ball handle I9, so that a sharp pull on this ball handle I0 will retract both of the release bars 9 and disengage Ithe l cranked wires 1 from their pins.

The-upper ends of the two Bowden wires rare guided through a depending pair of `tubular guides I1 formed integral with a plate I8 comprising an inner lead-in tting, anotherplate I9 being iitted'ilush against the exteriorV of the hood top to form an outer lead-in fitting and being apertured as at 20 to register with the outer ends of the inclined apertures I6. VBolts 2| are passed through the transparent hood and the outer and inner plates of this lead-in tting to clamp the two plates in position, the edges of the apertures.

20 pressing against the two 4sheaths to bind them` in position. The lower ends ofthe two sheaths aresecured Yto the hood frame by clips 22 fixed to the frame. I

The ball handle 'I0 does not normally depend freely from the lead-in tting but is stowed close to the'hood'top as shown in broken lines, for` which purpose astowage clip in the form of a ball headed bolt 23 is fixed to the hood top, thel ball head receiving a lug 24a integral with a rubber`collar 24 which may form part of the before-4 said handle Il), this lug being apertured as at 23a to stretch over the ball head ofthe clip. AYY rubber tube 25'together with the collar 24 receives Vthe appropriate ends of the two cables of the Bowden wire, and the rubber ball I9 comprises the `free terminal of the handle to afford a convenient fpull for the operator.

the Bowden wire are securely held in the handle, and also that any slackness in the cable can be taken up, and for this purpose the ball I0 is provided with a fastening device (see Figs. 5 ando) which will tightly grip the cable ends. This fastening device comprises aco-axial pair of' symmetrical metal bushes 26 and 21 tted in a central hole V28 in theball III and each formed with an enlarged cupped head 26a and 21a respective- 1y both seating in correspondingly dimensioned upper and lower enlargements 28a of the hole 28. In the upper of these cupped heads is engaged the head of a bolt 29, and in the other a nut 30 threaded on to the bolt. The bolt head is formedV with a pair of Vholes 3| parallel with the axis of the bolt, and before the bolt is tted in thel ball I0 the cable ends are threaded through these holes and turned back against the perimeter of the bolt head, so that when the bolt is inserted in the ball I0 the extremities of the cables lie.V

between the bolt head and the interior of the cup of the upper bush' 26;V the-application of the nutV causing the cable 'ends to be tightly gripped in position.

It will be apparent that in ordertc'jettison theVV hood it is only necessary to apply a sharp pull to the handle I9, the pilot or kpassenger if necessary Y pressing kthe sides of the hood outwards to free the hood from the retaining pins 6. The cranked wires 1 can be adapted to slightly yieldingly oppose their retraction from their retaining pins e. g. by the tightness of their fit or being slightly bent where they extend beyond the retaining pins. Y Iclaim: Y.

1. An airplane cockpit hood adapted to be jettisoned'quickly in an emergency, comprisingthe combination of a hood frame provided with a plurality of apertures, retaining members extending j Y f through said apertures perpendicularly to the plane of the'frame at the apertures, and adapted to receive the strain acting upon'the hood during flight, said members being attached to the airplane at one end, having a hole at their other end, and supporting the hood frame between their ends, and locking means inserted in the holes of Y said retaining members preventing disengage-V ment of the hood from said members and being releasable quickly from .engagement therewith. Y 2. An airplane cockpit hoodin accordance with claim 1 in which the locking means are releasableV simultaneously from engagement with said retaining members by a common releasing means.

3. An airplane cockpit hood in accordance with claim l in which the releasing means comprise aV cable and a lever, said cable having its one end attached to said lever and thelother end attached I to said locking means', whereby actuation of said lever releases said locking means quickly andY simultaneously from engagement with said retain# I ving members.

4. Y An airplane cockpit hood in accordance with claim 1in which the locking means comprises crank-shaped members, each member having one Ylimb inserted through a' hole in said retaining members and having its other limb ailixfed to a bar-shaped releasing means extending along and parallel to the sides Yof said hood frame.

5. An airplane cockpit hood in accordance with claim 1 in which the retaining membersare slidi JAMES MARTIN-- 

